The Couple
by Willow's.Pond
Summary: Sherlock puts into perspective the type of relationship he and John have


**Title: **The Couple**  
><strong>**Characters: **John Watson/Sherlock Holmes**  
><strong>**Warning: **Some fluff, some acerbic words from Sherlock, and John being cute.**  
><strong>**Summary:** The word 'couple' doesn't really have enough force behind to quite label what the two of them are.**  
><strong>**Rating: **PG**  
><strong>**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters.

The Couple

"...she called us a couple," John states, out of the blue, approximately a week after The Scandal in Belgravia.

Sherlock doesn't answer. He types away at his computer with a concentrated look on his face, looking to the world as if he didn't really give a wit's end about what his flat mate had to say.

"Sherlock, are you listening to me? _She _called us a couple." No one had to say her name, they already knew who John was talking about. "Why does everyone we meet think we're a couple?"

"That's because we are,"

John slowly feels his jaw drop down as he stares full on at his... partner? His flat mate? His...what?

"Oh do put your jaw back together John." Sherlock states, looking away from John's laptop screen to shoot a look at his shocked flat mate. "You do know what a couple is, don't you? Two people who are paired, who are always within in each other's presence, who are _together_. Your slow, dim-witted brain has to know the definition of an elementary word such as-"

"I bloody well know what the word couple means," John snaps back, feeling irritated and rather flustered.

Sherlock looks at him. It's an unnerving, intense stare and it holds as Sherlock snaps the laptop to a close. It holds as he stands and walks towards John. It holds, smolders, _grows_, as Sherlock leans in smoothly uncomfortably close to John's face.

"No, I don't quite think you understand what I mean John," Sherlock mutters, cocking his head to the side just a tad. John licks his lips, suddenly feeling warm.

"When you think of couple, you think of a woman and a man who are engaged in an emotional and physical relationship with each other. You are thinking of two people who feel mutual attraction and have thus engaged in a monogamous relationship," Sherlock talks on, quicksilver fast and with hints of amusement in his tone. He leans in even closer to John, and John can't help but shiver as tendrils of warm air brush against his lips from Sherlock's breath.

"I, well, yes, that's what I think," John babbles, and for godforsaken reason, he can feel a blush blooming on his cheeks. "And why does it sound as if you're implying we're not like...er...well, _that_ kind of couple."

"Because we are _not _like '_that kind of couple_' as you put it," Sherlock retorts sharply. Then with a jolt, Sherlock encloses John's body as his arms shoot out to land on the arms of the sofa John is sitting in. "Think, John. _Think_. We're not sexually attracted to each other, and quite frankly, even if we were, sex is something quite useless to me. You usually do not find men attractive-"

"_Usually_?"

"_Quiet _John," -and John snaps his mouth shut as it had begun to slide down once more- "However, you are emotionally invested in me. In _us_. You drop everything for me, oh _don't _look at me like that, you know it is more than true, you make sure that I eat, that I sleep, that I 'don't go and kill myself by acting like a bloody child' as you put, which I must have to say John, cannot be more inaccurate for I do not act like a child."

"I sound like your parent, you crazy consulting detective.," John grumbles, trying to bury himself into the cushion of his seat.

Sherlock ignores the comment, but rolls his eyes to show that he is more than aware of John's frustrations with his somewhat devil-may-care attitude. And with that, he leans back to stretch himself up to his full height. He bores his eyes into John's, and the corner of his mouth uplifts into a smirk.

"We are what we are John. No more, no less," Sherlock murmurs.

"Well, nice to know that I'm going to be stuck with a child genius in the body of a man for the rest of my life," John snarks. But he can't help but laugh when Sherlock bursts into peals of genuine, amused chuckles.


End file.
